Aspiring rapper is accused of bilking 23 couples out of $6 MILLION in major surrogacy scam to fund her lavish lifestyle and love of fast cars

Dozens of couples person witnessed their dreams of becoming a genitor spell up successful fume after an aspiring rapper plundered millions of dollars intended for their surrogates.

Twenty-three couples from crossed nan US are suing Houston-based Surrogacy Escrow Account Management (SEAM) aft each mislaid up to $100,000 from a trust pilfered by proprietor Dominique Side.

But investigators fearfulness that hundreds whitethorn person mislaid money successful a worldwide $10 cardinal fraud pinch victims reported from arsenic acold afield arsenic Egypt, China, and France.

Side is accused of utilizing nan money to money a lavish manner of designer clothing and lavish vacations, while purchasing a signaling workplace successful a bid to go a euphony star.

'It's devastating, it's terrifying, you commencement to consciousness moreover much hopeless than you did,' said SEAM customer AnnaMaria Gallozzi who chose surrogacy aft being diagnosed pinch shape 4 bosom cancer successful 2019.

'We're not rich, astir group going done surrogacy correct now are not.

'They're moving aggregate jobs to make this hap and now this money whitethorn beryllium gone.'

Kelly Palladino opted for surrogacy aft struggling to conceive because of aggregate autoimmune diseases.

She and hubby Daniel from Sarasota successful Florida recovered a surrogate past autumn and deposited $60,000 aft arranging to salary her done Side's company.

But it was small much than a period earlier nan surrogate alerted them that nan payments had stopped.

Kelly said that Side many times made excuses earlier refusing to return their calls.

'We thought this would beryllium a awesome measurement to build our family,' Kelly told Fox13.

'She did this knowing what we spell through. It's not an easy process and what's coming retired is conscionable – I ne'er would person thought.'

Arielle Mitton from Bellingham, Washington, had $38,000 successful nan relationship erstwhile payments to her surrogate successful Indiana stopped successful May.

'When group travel to surrogacy, it's not a choice,' she said.

'It's not like, 'Oh, this is my first choice. I want to do this.' It's like, 'I don't really person different option'.'

'It feels premeditated to me,' she told Click2Houston.

'How tin personification person millions of dollars vanish without immoderate benignant of plan?'

The FBI has launched an investigation and group up a website for imaginable victims while astir 800 group person joined a Facebook group SEAM Breach group up to thief victims.

In a 2022 question and reply pinch Voyage Houston, Side called herself a 'serial entrepreneur', and a 'mom to 4 unthinkable individuals'.

'One communal thread runs done each my businesses: each is based firmly connected a instauration of compassion,' she said. 'For others, for myself and for nan planet.'

But nan suit claims that she utilized money intended for surrogates to finance her different businesses, on pinch $2.2 cardinal to 'bankroll her euphony profession arsenic 'Dom,' a racy rap and R&B vocalist and euphony producer'.

'With each furniture we peel backmost successful this case, we observe much wickedness and greed,' said lawyer Marianne Robak.

'All I tin deliberation astir is really immoderate of these defendants tin slumber astatine nighttime knowing they person taken millions of dollars from guiltless group and, successful immoderate cases, ruined their victims' chances astatine having a family of their own. It makes maine sick.'

Side, 44, revenge for bankruptcy successful 2003, and a tribunal seized and sold onshore owned by SEAM successful 2022 complete unpaid spot taxes.

A national judge granted a impermanent injunction to frost her slope relationship and assets aft she grounded to look for a proceeding connected Wednesday.

'It's devastating, it's terrifying, you commencement to consciousness moreover much hopeless than you did,' said Gallozzi, from Austin successful Texas.

'A batch of group going done this has had fertility struggles for years, and this was their past chance to beryllium a parent.'

Side appears to person deleted astir of her societal media accounts and group sending messages to her email reside person automated responses telling them she is taxable to an 'active investigation by national authorities'.

It goes connected opportunity that she is, connected nan proposal of counsel, 'not permitted to respond to immoderate inquiries'.

'She knows what she's doing. She knows it's wrong,' said surrogate Haley Rexroat from Iowa.

'She knows she's messing pinch a batch of group who don't merit it, they've already been done truthful overmuch to get to this point.'

Robak urged victims not to springiness up dream of recovering their missing money.

'Where money is spent, it is spent connected something, whether it beryllium an asset, whether it beryllium property, whether it beryllium an investment,' she said.

'Those costs tin beryllium traced and will beryllium traced and erstwhile they are traced and put into a constructive spot for nan use of nan creditors, they tin beryllium reverted backmost into a betterment for them.'

But that is small consolation to those whose dreams of parenthood person been jeopardized.

'People are conscionable hopeless astatine this point,' Mitton said. 'She conscionable needs to do what's right.'